“A Link to the Past”

Stardate 75379.6; May 19, 2398

Episode 83

Edited by Peter Bossley

Story by Chris Adamek and Shaun Hayes

Written by Chris Adamek

Prologue

Ambassador Phannah
clutched the padd in her sweaty hands as if it were the key to the universe. As far as she knew, the little padd contained
nothing of great value; in fact, from what she had gleaned from the first few
lines of text, it was little more than a basic status report that was barely
worthy of her attention.But as she
traversed the myriad corridors of level thirteen, Phannah held onto that little
padd as if her life depended on it.

Her life, of
course, wasn’t hanging in the balance, but with Professor Eridar’s pending
arrival, Phannah needed something to keep her fidgety hands occupied—and
the padd seemed to fit the bill nicely.

Professor
Eridar was a bit of a legend.Having
negotiated numerous treaties throughout the quadrant—including the landmark
treaty with the Rilnar—he was widely regarded as one of the most influential
people in the galaxy’s vast political landscape.Additionally, if the rumors were to be believed, Eridar was very
close to being named successor to his people’s throne.Clearly, this was no ordinary man… and in
less than five minutes, he would step through the airlock to meet with Phannah.

The airlock
seemed bigger today.Instead of the
simple round hatch that Phannah was used to seeing, the doorway yawned before
her like a cavern’s mouth.She
suspected the change was more a part of her active imagination than an actual
alteration of the structure.The
arrival of such a noted dignitary was bound to fray the nerves, and Phannah
suspected her imaginings would continue until her meeting with Professor Eridar
was concluded.Of course, since she was
presently struggling to recall her own name, Phannah suspected that her
recollection of their planned dialogue would also be less than successful.

And she was
about to find out.

Amidst a mechanical
symphony, the massive door spiraled into the thick wall, dramatically revealing
the legendary dignitary.Eridar stood
patiently behind the door; he was clad in a hooded obsidian robe that draped
onto the floor behind him.It obscured
almost all of his features, but as far as Phannah could tell, he looked rather
average.

The hooded
Eridar remained in the airlock for a moment longer before finally glancing up
to see his path no longer obstructed.“This is truly an impressive facility, Ambassador,” he said as he
vacated the airlock.“In all my
travels, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”

Phannah
couldn’t help but smile.She knew her
station was impressive, but Eridar’s glowing review gave her opinion that much
more credence. “My people have come a
long way since the first Al-Bhed attack,” she said evenly.“If they were to attack this facility, they
would have quite a fight on their hands.”

Eridar
chucked.“They would indeed,” he
agreed.“But hopefully, after today,
the Al-Bhed won’t be of much concern to you any longer.”

The Al-Bhed
would always concern Phannah.Ever
since the first attack a thousand years ago, there had been concerned about
this malevolent species, and there was little doubt in her mind that the
concern would not fade until the Al-Bhed threat came to a decisive
conclusion.But as Eridar so kindly
mentioned, there was always hope.

With her free
hand, Phannah motioned for Eridar to walk with her.He nodded and promptly took a few steps into the corridor, but
paused after only a moment’s journey.At first, Phannah suspected something was amiss, but her fears were
immediately quelled when Eridar removed his dark hood.There wasn’t anything wrong; in fact,
everything appeared to be just right…

Much as Phannah
had suspected, Eridar’s features were standard for his species.His skin was a deathly shade of pale blue,
which contrasted considerably with the fiery green eyes burning beneath his
eternally furrowed brow.He had long,
nymph-like ears, and the grotesque, bony protrusion running the length of his
nose burrowed into the pentagon-shaped plate on his forehead.The rest of his domed skull rose independent
of the forehead, giving him a rather fearsome persona.“It has been a long trip,” Eridar explained
wearily.

But no
explanation was necessary in Phannah’s book.She was simply relieved that he approved of the accommodations.“If you would like, I can show you to your
quarters.You are more than welcome to
rest before we begin…”

Eridar promptly
raised a dismissive hand.“It has been
a long trip,” he said, “but I am nevertheless eager to see the rest of this
impressive facility.”

A slight grin
fell upon Phannah’s face.“I hope
you’ve cleared your schedule for the next couple of weeks,” she said wryly.“I have been in command of this station for
two years, and I don’t think I’ve explored more than five percent of it…”

The awe in
Eridar’s face was apparent.Despite the
advanced technology possessed by his people, not even they had the ability to construct
such an incredible structure.“I may
have to extend my stay,” he said.“At
the very least, I want to see the command module—and the genetic research lab.I understand you’ve been working miracles
there, as well.”

Phannah nodded,
though her enthusiasm seemed to wane a bit.“Another surprise for the Al-Bhed,” she quietly confirmed.“Recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering
have allowed us to create a new weapon to use against our nemesis.We have yet to use it against them, but our
preliminary studies indicate the Al-Bhed won’t be able to defend themselves
against an attack.”

“Then I am
eager to see this marvel,” said Eridar.“My government has expressed some concerns about a few of the lesser
species—the Elorg, for example…We
don’t believe they pose an immediate threat, but if push comes to shove…”

Though Eridar’s
words faded away, Phannah nevertheless caught his drift.“You wouldn’t mind having a few genetically
created warriors to fight on your side,” she finished—but she knew his opinion
would change…

Eridar still
smiled.“And if we can arrange a little
something,” he said warmly, “then coming days should prove interesting…”